A leakage of current between a conductor carrying power to or from a device and a ground is known as a “ground fault,” and poses dangers to humans as well the device itself. For example, if a human operator is in electrical contact with the ground, the human may receive an electrical shock or otherwise be injured. Likewise, ground faults can also cause overheating, fires, or other damage to the device itself.
As such, systems for detecting and responding ground faults have been developed. In particular, ground fault circuit interrupter systems can be included in devices such as home appliances to protect against ground faults.
Certain existing ground fault circuit interrupter systems typically include both an unbalanced current sensor and a relay. The unbalanced current sensor can include a sensor coil for detecting an unbalanced current between conductors carrying power to and from the device.
When unbalanced current is detected, the relay can be operated to electrically disconnect the device load from the power source. Relays also typically include a solenoid coil that can be energized to generate a magnetic field to influence one or more mechanical parts of the relay to move to a different position that causes the electrical disconnection.
Thus, existing unbalanced current detection and response systems include both a sensor coil and a solenoid coil. Each of such coils has a cost to manufacture or purchase and, therefore, increases the cost of the resulting system and device.
Therefore, devices that feature a combined unbalanced current sensor and solenoid coil are desirable.